John Henry Foley RA (1818-1874)
Code: 10718
Dimensions:
John Henry Foley RA (1818-1874)
Queen Victoria on horseback
Signed J H Foley RA, inscribed on the base, Elkington & Co Founders.
The subject depicts Queen Victoria on horseback, wearing official regalia when reviewing troops.
Finely detailed and finished, it is similar but far superior to a sculpture by William Thornycroft dating from 1853.
This fine bronze sculpture by JH Foley appears to be a one-off piece dating after 1860, possibly a commission for a regimental presentation. Foley had a working relationship with Elkington’s who cast several of his works.
Foley exhibited at the RA from 1839 and was a member since 1857, he stopped showing in 1861 as he was not happy with the way sculpture was displayed, there was a list of works published after his death in 1875 by Cosmo Monkhouse, but it is not complete.
JH Foley was one of the most successful sculptors of the 19th century and certainly the finest equestrian sculptor, his equestrian statue of Henry Hardinge was considered to be the most important statue cast in Britain at that time. He sculpted many public works including two statues in Palace of Westminster and the O’Connell monument in Dublin.
He is most famous for his artistic contribution to the Albert Memorial, the gilded Albert himself and Asia, one of the four continents.
His Wikipedia biography has comprehensive details of his life and work.